1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tank vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a truck tank trailer designed for hauling both liquid and granular material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The truck transportation industry has long sought a vehicle which will permit loaded operation in both directions in travel. This can be accomplished readily when transporting a product in a van trailer or on a flat bed trailer, but very little has been done to provide a vehicle which will transport a liquid and a dry granular product in separate compartments. Liquid trailers are available with separate compartments for different products and dry bulk trailers are available for different products.
The trailer industry has made various attempts to produce a suitable trailer for transporting both liquid products and dry granular products. However, these trailers have been subject to one or more of several disadvantages. Specifically, these trailers are often awkward due to a high center of gravity when loaded with the granular product. High pulling resistance due to large flat frontal areas reduces fuel economy for many of these trailers. Moreover, these trailers are often of excess weight due to elaborate interior frame work. In addition, such liquid/granular trailers are generally unsuitable for transporting thermosetting liquids or other liquid loads requiring insulation.
An object of the present invention is provide a truck trailer suitable for transporting liquid and granular materials and having a relatively low center of gravity for road stability.
A further object of the present invention is provide an improved streamlined truck trailer for transporting liquid and granular materials with good fuel economy.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a truck trailer for transporting liquid and granular materials and having a relatively simple construction to avoid excessive weight.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a truck trailer for transporting liquid and granular materials which is especially convenient for loading and unloading.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a truck trailer for transporting liquid and granular materials wherein the compartments for carrying liquid are insulated.